(230 
July 17, 1020 
PUBLISHER'S DESK 
All letters to Publisher’s Desk depart¬ 
ment must be signed with writer’s full 
name and address given. Many inquiries 
are answered by mail instead of printing 
inquiry and answer, hence unsigned let¬ 
ters receive no consideration. 
Indictment has been brought against 
another oil company and six individuals. 
This is the Henderson Farm Oil Com¬ 
pany, which claimed to own 2,700 acres of 
oil land in Kentucky. Since 1017 the 
concern is said to have sold 500,000 shares 
of stock on the representation that the 
wells were producing 8.000 barrels of oil 
a month, while as a matter of fact, the 
wells were not producing, and the prop¬ 
erty is said to be under an encumbrance 
due to an injunction suit. One broker¬ 
age house was to sell 400.000 shares of 
the stock at $1 per share and retain 50c 
a share as their commission. Other in¬ 
dictments are said to be under way. 
A suit has been brought against the 
First National Stores, a Delaware corpor¬ 
ation. on alleged false representations. 
The company was incorporated for $10,- 
500.000, and planned to establish 1.000 
drygoods stores throughout the country, 
15 of which were to be opened each mouth 
until the 1.000 were in operation. Great 
profits were promised from investment 
in the corporation, and in 10 years the 
net annual profits were figured at $22,- 
635.800. The complainant bought 30 
shares of stock for $3,000. and stated 
1.000 shares were issued to the broker 
without consideration, and he alleges that 
the organization of the First National 
Stores was merely a scheme to defraud in¬ 
vestors and induce them to purchase 
stocks, the profits of which were retained 
for the broker’s benefit. The representa¬ 
tion was made that well-known capitalists 
were back of the scheme, and this, he al¬ 
leges. was also without foundation. 
Glowing prospectuses, promises of large 
dividends, all of which are in the future 
and to be accomplished, are sure signs 
that a rigid investigation will pay the 
would-be investor. Investigate before any 
money leaves your hands and avoid losses. 
Fred W. Laughorst, stockbroker, and 
Joseph A. Herron. 95 Murray Lane, 
Flushing. L. I., president of the South¬ 
western Zinc, Lead & Iron Company, 
were indicted on a charge of grand lar¬ 
ceny on the testimony of a school teacher 
who had been arrested for selling stock 
in the above company. The court exon¬ 
erated the teacher, as she was lured into 
the company on false representations, and 
lost $11,000 of her own savings. Some 
$50,000 worth of stock in the company 
had been sold to teachers, and it is claimed 
that all representations made for it were 
false. The investors, however, will, no 
doubt, lose their money, and as we have 
often advised, there is little hope of any 
return on stock investments that are built 
up on future prospects. 
Last November a man called.at our 
house and wanted my husband to take a 
correspondence course on salesmanship. 
He has worked on a farm all his life, and 
at that time received $12 per week, and 
had te board employer’s hired men for 
$4 a week. The agent said not a word 
about a contract, never gave him the slip 
to read at all; just got him to sign his 
name. He paid agent $10 that day, and 
four weeks after that he came again to 
collect $5 more. All my husband re¬ 
ceived was his receipt and seven small 
pamnhlets, and he sent one lesson in. 
Just think, lesson $15; found his own 
paper! Shortly after that we had to 
move, and later the whole family of four 
was ill; my husband unable to work for 
a few weeks. When we received letters 
from the International Correspondence 
Schools about payment, we answered im¬ 
mediately, and explained the circum¬ 
stances. Now they have sued us for $57. 
as they say contract called for. This 
contract was signed on Sunday. Is it 
legal, and can they hold us for it when 
not a word was said by the agent about 
a contract? What can they do if we do 
not have the money? I suppose myself 
and little children must go hungry to pay 
for something we never received. We 
never buy anything on installments, and 
trv to pay our bills as we go. Tell us 
what to do. MRS. H. MC C. 
New Jersey. 
The above letter is typical of reports 
that come to us from country people who 
have been induced to sign orders for cor¬ 
respondence school courses. The sales¬ 
man doesn’t care a rap whether the pros¬ 
pect has any fitness for the line of work 
The RURAL. NEW-YORKER 
which is the subject of the correspond¬ 
ence course. The weaker he may be men¬ 
tally. the easier it is for the agent to got. 
his name on the dotted line. And then 
if the victim isn’t otherwise frightened 
into paying the demands of the corre¬ 
spondence school, he is sued, as in this 
case, even though his children may go 
hungry that the unjust demands may be 
satisfied—unjust even though within the 
law. The International Correspondence 
School of Scranton. Pa., has made the 
claim that The It. N. Y. is the only pa¬ 
per which ever refused its advertising. 
We are proud of the distinction ! 
Inclosed is a circular just received from 
Iluber Importing Company of Milwaukee, 
that is certainly amusing if nothing more. 
If the fertile egg were kept under refrig¬ 
eration and a number of these devices 
suspended over them, there would be a 
demonstration of perpetual motion that 
would delight the “shades” of the ancient 
seekers for this delusion. Seriously, 
while this device is not advertised iu 
your publication, it does seem as though 
poultrymen should be warned against it. 
Unfortunately, there are many poultry- 
men wbo would contribute to the coffers 
of the manufacturer of this joker. 
Virginia. C. F. M. 
The device described iu the circular is 
called “Kikriki.” It is claimed to show 
the fertility of an egg and the sex of the 
chick to which it will hatch. It is very 
similar to the “Sexometer.” referred to 
in these columns during the Winter. We 
would not advise anyone parting with 
$1.50 for the device until it has been 
demonstrated that it will do what is 
claimed. Until then it is safe to regard 
“Kikriki” as a fake .scheme to separate 
trusting people from $1.50. 
I would like very much to own one 
share in this Hotel Commonwealth on 
account of the membership privilege, and 
await only your approval before making 
the investment. Do you think it would 
be wise to take this step, as I have no 
means of learning what kind of men are 
running it? Will you help me out and 
accept in advance my thanks? 
New Jersey. , w. i>. c. 
The Hotel Commonwealth is not yet 
built, and we have no assurance that it 
ever will be. The project of selling mem¬ 
berships iu the proposed hotel was 
launched several years ago. A $100 
membership entitles the holder to a 20 
per cent rebate on hotel bills for the mem¬ 
ber and friends whom he may send to the 
hotel—when it is built and iu operation. 
This proposition is on a par with the 
stock-selling schemes with the induce¬ 
ment that stockholders can purchase 
goods manufactured at wholesale rates. 
All these schemes are a species of “sucker 
bait.” 
Your Publisher’s Desk is a very inter¬ 
esting feature and a great benefit to your 
subscribers, but believe a large part of 
your labor would be unnecessary if people 
would practice some simple rules of busi¬ 
ness in their affairs. One of them is to 
ignore advertisements that are not backed 
by responsible publishers, and another is 
to turn down every agent and advertise¬ 
ment promising more than a fair profit on 
investment. Farm papers that will not 
accept questionable advertisements and 
that back the advertisements of their 
patrons, afford all that is usually needed 
or desired, and one can safely do busi¬ 
ness with their advertisers. That is my 
experience extending over a period of 30 
years. During that time we have seen 
advertisements iu high-class periodicals 
and given large space in them, proved to 
be swindles, and pH' i: shed as such in 
your “Publisher’s Column.” I believe 
that every publication should be held re¬ 
sponsible to the public for its advertising 
matter, and that if business men would 
advertise in publications requiring insur¬ 
ance to their readers against loss, a great 
deal of fraud would be prevented. 
Ohio. D. L. SNIDER. 
Our Ohio friend is entirely correct. 
The most experienced make mistakes at 
times. The one best rule is first to get 
information from reliable sources. This, 
of course, varies in definiteness, and the 
investor’s judgment is always a factor. 
The publisher’s direct obligation ends 
with the advertisements he indorses by a 
place iu his columns, but we have not felt 
content to rest there. We feel it a dTity 
to warn our people against swindles and 
rogues, wherever they appeal-. 
There is a certain long-suffering 
father whose nerves sometimes give way 
under questions from his talkative eight- 
year-old sou. “Dad.” said the youngster, 
just as the old man settled down for a 
perusal of his newspaper, “Dad. am I 
made of dust?” “I think not,” responded 
the unhappy parent, “otherwise you would 
dry up once iu a while.”—New York 
Globe. 
Spark Plugs in 
the Grain Field 
W ITH the present scarcity of labor, and con¬ 
sidering what you have to pay for it, idle 
tractors, made idle by poor spark plugs, cut down 
your yield—and profits. 
Bethlehem Spark Plugs keep your tractors IN the 
field and OUT of the repair-shop. For they are heavy- 
duty plugs, especially built for tractor work, with a 
knowledge of what a tractor plug must do. 
Bethlehem Automobile and Truck Plugs are also 
especially designed to wring the last ounce of power 
out of your motor-fuel. 
The great International Harvester Company, after 
exhaustive tests, has adopted Bethlehem plugs as 
standard equipment. So has the Studebaker Cor¬ 
poration. 
They couldn't afford to go wrong. Neither can 
you. Write for free copy of “Hit or Miss?”, which 
tells what you ought to know about spark plugs. 
BETHLEHEM SPARK PLUG CORPORATION 
E. H. Schwab, President 
Bethlehem, Pa. 
G ET OUR low prices first and avoid 
wasteful buying. Buy direct from 
us and save 20 % to 40 % on your Im¬ 
plements, laid down at your 
station. Our “Short tine” 
methods cut off unnecessary 
profits and rehandling charges. 
You get the savings. , 
Cash Prices 
300 lbs. capacity 
Separator 
$49-25 
5 H.P. Engine $132-00 
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No. 7 
v LOW PRICED GARAGES 
Lowest prices on Ready-Made 
Fire-Proof Steel Garages. Set 
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Garage Book, Rhowing styles. 
THB enWAROS MFC. CO., 
723-771 Fiks St-, Cincinnati, 0. 
FREE 
l Samples & 
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Ask for our Installment prices on engines, separa¬ 
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Complete line of farm machinery. Large stocks— 
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our Midsummer Catalog and illustrated booklet, 
“The Why of It.” A postal will bring both free. 
NATIONAL FARM EQUIPMENT CO. 
Dept, D 98Chambers St., New YorkCity 
"<£FZUvnA. J4<£uLc^uabW 
Feeds and Feeding* now $2.75 
This standard book by Ileury & Mor¬ 
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which price we can supply it. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
333 West 30th Street New York 
id 
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1694 Oakland Av«., Kanaaa City, Mo. 
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FERTILIZERS AND CROPS by Dr. L. L. Van 
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i. - . ■ - ■■ - 
